Poker-type game

ABSTRACT

A novel method of playing a poker-type game is disclosed wherein in a single deal a player is given the opportunity to bet twice against posted house odds, bet against a dealer hand, and bet against the other players. Each player makes initial wagers against the house odds and the other players. Each player and the dealer are then dealt two cards. In addition two community cards are dealt face down. Each player decides independently whether to bet against the dealer. The first community card is turned over and is used by each player and the dealer to form a three-card hand. Each player&#39;s two-card hands are compared to the house odds and the first bet is settled. The second bet against the house odds and any additional bets against the dealer&#39;s three-card hand are settled. The second community card is turned over and used by each player to form a four-card hand that is used to determine the winner of the bet against the other players.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to card games in general and to a novel variation of a conventional poker game that can be played in casino gaming establishments, card rooms, and other appropriate leisure establishments.

2. Prior Art

Conventional poker card games, such as card room poker and casino poker, are well known in the prior art, however there is always a continuing need for new and interesting variants of such games. In a conventional card room poker game, a player can only wager against other players, not having the option to compete against an impersonal source, such as the house. Alternatively, in a conventional casino poker game, the players play against the dealer or house, not having the option to compete against the other players. Thus, these types of games, in addition to several other types of poker games known in the art, provide the players with little or no options. In addition, many conventional poker games are cumbersome, because they cannot be played rapidly, thus lowering the player's enjoyment level. Therefore, a novel variation of a poker game meeting the following objectives is desired.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide a novel poker-type card game.

It is another object of the invention to provide a novel poker-type game that is enjoyable and easy to play.

It is another object of the invention to provide a novel poker-type game that can be rapidly played.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel poker-type game that provides the player with a plurality of wagering options to heighten a player's interest.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel poker-type game that permits a player in a single deal to bet one or more times against house set odds, to bet against a dealer hand, and to bet against the other player hands.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention shall become apparent from the ensuing figures and descriptions of the invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a novel variation of a poker-type card game that allows the player to make a plurality of wagers against house set odds, a dealer's hand and the hands of the other players. To begin the game, each player and the dealer are dealt two cards. These cards form the two-card hands for each player. In addition two community cards are dealt face down. The two-card hand plus the first community card to be later turned over form the three-card hands for each player and the dealer. The three-card hand plus the second community card form the four-card hands for each player. It is preferred that the cards are dealt out of a deck of 52 cards. The players after inspecting their two-card hands place a wager on whether their three-card hand will rank higher than the dealer's three-card hand. Once the players have made their decision to bet or check against the dealer's three-card hand, the dealer will then turn over his hand and a first community card. The payoffs for the two-card and three-card wager are then settled according to pre-determined pay tables based on the odds. If placed, the three-card wager against the dealer is also settled at this point, according to predetermined ranking schedules. Finally, the dealer turns over the second community card and the player with the highest ranking four-card hand, in accordance with a pre-determined ranking schedule, wins with respect to the other players.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES AND TABLES

FIG. 1 depicts a schematic illustration of a preferred layout of a poker-type game in accordance with the present invention.

TABLE 1 illustrates a preferred pay table for the two-card wager in accordance with the present invention.

TABLE 2 illustrates a preferred pay table for the three-card wager in accordance with the present invention.

TABLE 3 illustrates a preferred ranking schedule for the three-card wager against the dealer in accordance with the present invention.

TABLE 4 illustrates a preferred ranking schedule for the four-card wager in accordance with the present invention.

THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a novel variation of conventional poker card games. FIG. 1 depicts a schematic illustration of a preferred layout 1 on which a preferred embodiment of the present invention may be played. In a preferred embodiment, layout 1 includes several marked playing zones 2, one for each player hand. Each zone 2 is provided with a designated betting area 3-6 for each of the different wagers. Each zone 2 is also provided with an area 7 for a player to receive two player cards 8 and 9, respectively. Layout 1 further preferably includes a separate zone 10 for the dealer who preferably represents the house. Zone 10 includes an area 11 to receive two dealer cards 12 and 13, respectively, and an area 14to receive two community cards 15 and 16, respectively. Layout 1 further preferably includes a zone 17 for the players four-card “pot”, i.e. where the players' four-card wagers are collectively placed by the dealer. It is also preferred that there be separate zones 18-20 for the two-card pay table, the three-card pay table, and the four-card rankings information, respectively, may be displayed. In a further preferred embodiment, layout 1may further be provided with a zone for indicating important rules of the game. For example, as depicted in FIG. 1, layout 1 is provided with a “Beat the House” zone 21 to indicate the pre-determined and qualifying rule that must be met before a decision can be made on a three-card wager against the dealer.

To commence the game, each player takes a place before one of the marked playing zones 2 and the dealer takes his place before his zone 10. In a preferred embodiment of the game, there must be at least one player and a dealer. Each player then makes initial wagers on the two-card hand, a three-card hand, and four-card hand betting areas 3-5, respectively, by placing gaming chips, tokens, cash etc. on the appropriate designated betting areas provided in their respective zone 2. In a preferred embodiment of the game, the two-card hand and three-card hand wagers will each be made against a pay table based on the odds visually identified in zones 18 and 19, respectively. Whether the player wins either of these two wagers, and if so, how much, is determined by comparing the rank of the player hands against the odds set forth in the pay tables located in zones 18 and 19. The four-card wager will be in competition amongst the other players. The two-card hand is formed by the two player cards 8 and 9. The three-card hand is formed by the two player cards 8 and 9, plus the first community card 15 that will be turned over. The four-card hand is formed by the two player cards 8 and 9 and the two community cards 15 and 16. In a further preferred embodiment of the game, the player must make a two-card wager that is equivalent in amount to his three-card wager. In a further preferred embodiment, the four-card wager against the other players must meet a pre-determined amount. Pursuant to the preferred rules of the game, the dealer will then close the wagering and move all of the four-card wagers into the “pot” situated in zone 17. The dealer will then manually or mechanically shuffle and deal the cards. In a preferred embodiment, the dealer will utilize an automated device 22 that shuffles and dispenses the cards in stacks of two from a standard fifty-two card deck. After the wagers have been placed, beginning with the player to the extreme left and rotating to the right, the dealer will then place each player's cards 8 and 9 in front of the players in area 7. The cards may be dealt face-up or face down. In a preferred embodiment, the player's cards will be dealt face down. The dealer also deals face down community cards 15 and 16 and places them in area 14. Once the cards have been dealt, the remaining cards from the deck in use will be removed and placed in a discard rack. If the player cards have been dealt face down, the dealer will then instruct the players to pick up their cards, preferably utilizing one hand.

Each player will then inspect his hand. After the player has had an opportunity to inspect his hand, he is given an opportunity to place a wager that against the dealer on the “Beat the House” spot. In another preferred embodiment of this scenario; e.g., in a card-room game, the term dealer refers to a player-dealer i.e. one player may be designated as the player-dealer who will then represent the house. In a preferred embodiment of the game, the amount of the two-card, three-card, beat the house, and four-card wagers will be equal. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, either the dealer or the player must achieve a pre-determined qualifying hand in order participate in the “Beat the House” wager. In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the dealer shall only qualify to participate in the “Beat the House” wager, if the dealer's hand is a Jack high, this qualifying rule as indicated by zone 21 in layout 1. The rank of the dealer hand necessary to qualify to participate in the “Beat the House” wager can be varied; e.g., the dealer shall only qualify if his hand is a Queen high. If the dealer's hand does not qualify, the player's “Beat the House” wager is a push. A player that does not place a three-card “Beat the House” wager against the dealer can potentially win on all three of the other bets, but will not play against the dealer.

Once the players have made their decision to bet or check against the house, the dealer then turns over his hand and the first community card to create the three-card hand. Starting from right to left, the dealer will then inspect each player's hand and settle the wagers. Each player's two-card hand and three-card hand are then settled according to predetermined pay tables at zones 18 and 19 based on the stated odds, such tables including ranking hierarchies of winning hands from highest to lowest. Exemplary embodiments of such paytables are depicted by Table 1 and Table 2. Each players' two-card and three-card wagers will only be paid if the player has achieved a rank at least as high as the lowest rank in each of the respective pay tables. Next, if placed, the three-card “Beat the House” spot is acted upon and the player's three-card hand is compared with that of the dealer's three-card hand. In this scenario, the player wins only when the dealer hand is a qualifying Jack high, or other predetermined qualifying hand, and the player's hand outranks the dealer's hand, the hands preferably being ranked according to a pre-determined ranking schedule such as set forth in Table 3. In such a scenario, the player's “Beat the House” wager will preferably be paid 1 to 1. If the player's hand ties the dealer's qualifying hand, the player's “Beat the House” wager is a push. If the dealer's qualifying hand outranks the player's hand, the player loses and the “Beat the House” wager is collected by the dealer accordingly. In an alternate embodiment, each player will be given an opportunity to place a second four-card hand bet in a predetermined amount, preferably the same amount in the initial four-card hand bet. If any player places a second four-card hand bet, then any other player who does not also place a second four-card hand bet can not win the players four-card pot. Only those players who place a second four-card hand bet are eligible to win the players four-card pot. The dealer collects each of the second four-card hand bets and places these in the players four-card pot area 17 along with the initial four-card hand bets. Finally, the dealer will turn over the second community card 16 to create the four-card hand. In this scenario, each eligible player's hand is compared with that of the other eligible players. The eligible player with the highest ranking four-card hand, according to a predetermined and preferred ranking schedule, as depicted in Table 4, will win the “pot”. If there is only one player, the “pot” will go back to him. Pursuant to a preferred rule of the game, the house cannot participate in the four-card wager and thus will not be eligible to win the “pot”. The procedure, as listed above, completes a single round of the game. Players, may then, if desired engage in another round of the game. It is to be understood that the rules, wagers, rankings, pay tables described herein may be varied or additional rules, wagers, rankings, pay tables, etc, may be implemented, as long as they are within the scope of the present invention.

Thus, as can be seen from the foregoing description, the present invention provides a novel and unique variation of conventional poker games known in the art. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in one deal the player is allowed to make a plurality of wagers to heighten his interest. In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the player makes both a two-card wager and a three-card wager against pay table odds. In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the player, optionally, makes a three-card wager against the dealer. In a further preferred embodiment, the player makes a four-card wager against the other players. The poker game of the present invention is further advantageous in that each player only receives two cards, as opposed to the conventional five cards. This allows each round of the poker game to be played easily and rapidly. The poker game of the present invention can be played in casinos and card rooms, and can further be implemented in a plethora of additional forms and media, including but not limited to electronic and video games, software, slot machines, etc.

While the invention has been described in terms of its preferred embodiment, other embodiments will be apparent to those of skill in the art from a review of the foregoing. Those embodiments, as well as the preferred embodiments, are intended to be encompassed by the scope and spirit of the following claims. TABLE 1 A Preferred Paytable for the Two-Card Wager Including a Ranking Schedule (A = Ace; K = King) 2-CARD HAND RANKING (in order from highest to lowest) ODDS Royal Flush (AK) 25 to 1  Straight Flush 8 to 1 Pair 3 to 1 Straight 1 to 1

TABLE 2 A Preferred Paytable for the Three-Card Wager Including a Ranking Schedule (A = Ace; K = King; Q = Queen) 3-CARD HAND RANKING (in order from highest to lowest) ODDS Royal Flush (AKQ) 50 to 1 Straight Flush 40 to 1 Three of a Kind 30 to 1 Straight  6 to 1 Flush  3 to 1 Pair  1 to 1

TABLE 3 A Preferred Ranking Schedule for the Three-Card Wager Against the House THREE-CARD HAND RANKING (in order from highest to lowest) “Straight Flush” is a hand consisting of 3 cards of the same suit in consecutive order “Three of a Kind” is a hand consisting of 3 cards of the same value. (3 Aces is the highest ranking “Three of a Kind.”) “Straight” is a hand consisting of 3 cards of consecutive rank “Flush” is a hand consisting of 3 cards of the same suit. “Pair” is a hand consisting of 2 cards of the same rank (Aces is the highest ranking pair) “High Card” is a hand with the highest ranking card

TABLE 4 A Preferred Ranking Schedule for the Four-Card Wager FOUR-CARD HAND RANKING (in order from highest to lowest) “Four of a Kind” is a hand consisting of 4 cards of the same value. (4 Aces is the highest ranking “Four of a Kind”) “Straight Flush” is a hand consisting of 4 cards of the same suit in consecutive order “Three of a Kind” is a hand consisting of 3 cards of the same value “Flush” is a hand consisting of 4 cards of the same suit “Straight” is a hand consisting of 4 cards of consecutive rank “Two Pair” is a hand consisting of 2 sets of 2 cards of the same rank (Aces is the highest ranking pair) “Pair” is a hand consisting of 2 cards of the same rank (Aces is the highest ranking pair) “High Card” is a hand with the highest ranking card 

1. A method of playing a poker-type card game between a dealer and one or more players, comprising the steps of: a. each player placing a two-card hand wager, a three-card hand wager, and a four-card hand wager; b. dealing two cards from one or more standard 52-card decks to the dealer and to each of the players to form a two-card hand for the dealer and separate two-card hands for each player; c. dealing two community cards face down; d. comparing the two cards dealt to each player against a first pay table containing a pay out amount for predetermined rankings of two-card hands, and settling each two-card hand wager in amounts as dictated by the first pay table; e. each player electing to place a three-card hand wager against a dealer three-card hand; f. turning one of the two community cards face up for use in conjunction with the two-card hands of each player and the dealer to form the separate player three-card hands and the dealer three-card hand; g. comparing the three-card hands of each player against a second pay table containing a pay out amount for predetermined rankings of three-card hands, and settling each three-card hand wager in a second amount as dictated by the second pay table; h. comparing the three-card hands of each player who elected to place a three-card hand bet against the dealer three-card hand, and settling each player three-card hand wager against the dealer three-card hand bet as dictated by the higher rank between the player three-card hand and the dealer three-card hand; i. turning the other community card face up for use for use in conjunction with the three-card hands of each player to form the four-card hands of each player; and j. comparing the four-card hands of each player to determine the four-card hand of highest ranking, and settling the player four-card hand wagers against each player as dictated by the highest ranking hand amongst the players.
 2. A method of playing a poker-type card game according to claim 1, wherein the two-card hand wager against the first pay table and the three-card hand wager against the second pay table are equal in amount.
 3. A method of playing a poker-type card game according to claim 2, wherein the three-card hand wager against the dealer three-card hand is equal in amount to the two-card hand wager.
 4. A method of playing a poker-type card game according to claim 1, wherein the four-card hand wager must be a predetermined amount.
 5. A method of playing a poker-type card game according to claim 4, wherein prior to turning the other community card face up, each player elects to place a second four-card hand wager against the four-card hands of the other players, and wherein any player who does not also place a second four-card hand wager of equal amount is not eligible to win the four-card hand wagers against the four-card hands of the other players.
 6. The method of playing a card game according to claim 1, wherein the dealer must have a pre-determined qualifying hand, wherein each player can optionally place a three-card wager against the dealer only if the dealer has the qualifying hand.
 7. A method of playing a card game, comprising the steps of: a. providing a dealer and at least one player; b. providing a standard deck of 52 cards; c. providing a pre-determined pay table for a two-card wager against the odds, including a pre-determined ranking system of winning hands from highest to lowest; d. providing a pre-determined pay table for a three-card wager against the odds, including a pre-determined ranking system of winning hands from highest to lowest; e. providing a pre-determined ranking system of winning hands for a three-card wager against the dealer from highest to lowest; f. providing a pre-determined ranking system of winning hands for a four-card wager against the other player(s) from highest to lowest; g. commencing the game by having each player place the following wagers: the two-card wager against the odds; the three-card wager against the odds; and the four-card wager against the other player(s); h. dealing two cards to each player; i. dealing two cards to the dealer; j. dealing two cards to a community position to provide for a first community card and a second community card; k. having each player inspect his cards and optionally place a three-card wager against the dealer; l. turning over the dealer's two cards and the first community card to create the three-card hand; m. paying each player's two-card wager against the pre-determined pay table if the player has achieved a rank at least as high as the lowest rank of the pay table; n. taking away each player's two-card wager against the pre-determined pay table if the player fails to achieve a rank at least as high as the lowest rank of the pay table; o. paying each player's three-card wager against the pre-determined pay table if the player has achieved a rank at least as high as the lowest rank of the pay table; p. taking away each player's three-card wager against the pre-determined pay table if the. player fails to achieve a rank at least as high as the lowest rank of the pay table; q. if the player has placed a three-card wager against the dealer, comparing the player's hand against the dealer's hand, and paying the player's three-card wager if the player's hand outranks the dealer's hand, pursuant to the pre-determined ranking system; r. if the player has placed a three-card wager against the dealer, comparing the player's hand against the dealer's hand, and taking away the player's wager if the dealer's hand outranks the player's hand, pursuant to the pre-determined ranking system; s. turning over the second community card to create the four-card hand; and t. comparing each player's hand against the other player(s) and paying the four-card wagers to the player with the highest rank, pursuant to the pre-determined ranking system.
 8. The method of playing a card game according to claim 7, wherein the two-card wager against the pay table must be in an amount that is equal to the three-card wager placed against the pay table.
 9. The method of playing a card game according to claim 7, wherein the three-card wager against the dealer, if placed, must be in an amount equal to the two-card wager and three-card wager against the pay table.
 10. The method of playing a card game according to claim 7, wherein the four-card wager against the other player(s) must meet a pre-determined amount.
 11. The method of playing a card game according to claim 7, wherein the dealer must have a pre-determined qualifying hand, wherein each player can optionally place a three-card wager against the dealer only if the dealer has the qualifying hand. 